Not Applicable.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container for holding parts during heat treating. In particular, the present invention relates to a container for holding parts during heat treating which has an egg crate construction with interlocking walls.
Heat treating is used to improve the properties, performance and durability of a part or object. In general, heat treating includes the steps of heating, quenching, normalizing, tempering and annealing the part. The main problem with the containers used in the heat treating process is that the containers warp during each heat treating session. Eventually, the extent of the warpage prevents the efficient use of the containers. In the past, containers used to hold parts during the various steps of heat treating had a very short useful life span.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The related art has shown various containers for holding parts during heat treating. Illustrative are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,862,540 to Koll; 2,300,783 to Grubel et al; 4,212,690 to Beuyukian et al; 4,572,749 to Emerson and 4,978,109 to Vigouroux. Koll describes a heat treat carrier which has a telescoping member to permit expansion and contraction of the carrier to prevent warping and cracking of the carrier. Grubel et al describes a heat treatment rack for treating cylindrical parts. Beuyukian et al describes a heat treat fixture for mounting a specimen during heat treating to prevent warping of the specimen during treatment. Emerson describes a method and apparatus for the heat treatment of a workpiece having a cavity. Vigouroux describes a multideck heat treatment tray for the treatment of gearbox shafts. The tray is constructed as a unitary piece and is very rigid such that the tray deforms in a uniform way during heat treatment.
Also of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,821 to Jo which describes a tray for use in a heat treatment furnace.
There remains the need for a container for holding parts during heat treating which has minimal final warpage and an increased useful life span.
A container for holding parts during a heat treating process. The container has an egg crate design and is constructed using a slot and tab construction: The container includes a bottom plate, two end walls, two sidewalls and a series of first and second dividers. The bottom plate and walls form the outer shape and structure of the container. The first and second dividers extend between the sidewalls and end walls respectively, perpendicular to each other to form compartments of the container. The end walls and first dividers can be provided with lift openings which enable the container to be easily lifted without damaging the parts. The container can also be provided with guards around the outside of the walls of the container. The guards reduce damage to the walls of the container. The compartments can be provided with guide cradles which hold the parts securely in the compartments. The bottom plate, walls and dividers of the compartment are constructed of flat pieces which have less warpage than hollow tubing. Some of the pieces of the container are provided with holes to reduce the weight of the container and to allow easy access to the parts during the heat treating process. The construction and structure of the container of the present invention reduces the warpage of the container after each heat treating session.
The container of the present invention is intended to be used to hold automotive parts such as cylinder heads during a heat treating process used to harden the parts. It is understood that the compartments and guide cradles of the container could be modified such as to hold any type of parts during the heat treating process.
The present invention relates to a container for use during heat treating to hold a part, which comprises: a bottom plate having a plurality of edges; a first end wall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate, the first end wall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a second end wall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate opposite the first end wall and extending outward from the bottom plate perpendicular to the bottom plate in a direction similar to the direction of the first end wall, the second end wall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a first sidewall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate perpendicular to the bottom plate in a direction similar to the direction of the first end wall, the first sidewall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a second sidewall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate perpendicular to the bottom plate in a direction similar to the direction of the first end wall, the second sidewall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a first divider having opposed ends with a tab on each of the opposed ends and positioned such as to extend between the first and second sidewalls such that the tab at one end of the first divider extends into one of the slots of the first sidewall and the tab on the other end of the first divider extends into one of the slots of the second sidewall; and a second divider having opposed ends with a tab on each of the opposed ends and positioned such as to extend between the first and second end walls such that the tab at one end extends into one of the slots of the first end wall and the tab on the other end extends into one of the slots of the second end wall.
Further, the present invention relates to a container for use during heat treating to hold a part, which comprises: a bottom plate having opposed ends with opposed sides extending therebetween; a pair of end walls mounted on the opposed ends of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate; a pair of sidewalls mounted on the opposed sides of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate and similar to the direction of the pair of end walls; first dividers having opposed ends with a first side and a second side extending between the ends and having slots extending from the first side toward the second side and positioned such that one of the ends is adjacent one of the sidewalls and the other one of the ends is adjacent the other one of the sidewalls and extending in a direction similar to the direction of the pair of sidewalls; and second dividers having opposed ends with a first side and a second side extending between the ends and having slots extending from the second side toward the first side and positioned such that one of the ends is adjacent one of the end walls and the other one of the ends is adjacent the other one of the sidewalls and extending in a direction similar to the direction of the pair of end walls and wherein the slots of the first dividers interlock with the slots of the second dividers such that the first and second dividers are interconnected.
Still further, the present invention relates to a method for heat treating a part, which comprises: providing a heat treat container including a bottom plate having a plurality of edges; a first end wall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate, the first end wall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a second end wall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate opposite the first end wall and extending outward from the bottom plate perpendicular to the bottom plate in a direction similar to the direction of the first end wall, the second end wall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a first sidewall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate perpendicular to the bottom plate in a direction similar to the direction of the first end wall, the first sidewall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a second sidewall mounted adjacent one of the edges of the bottom plate and extending outward from the bottom plate perpendicular to the bottom plate in a direction similar to the direction of the first end wall, the second sidewall having a first end and a second end with opposed sides extending between the ends with at least one slot extending between the sides; a first divider having opposed ends with a tab on each of the opposed ends and positioned such as to extend between the first and second sidewalls such that the tab at one end of the first divider extends into one of the slots of the first sidewall and the tab on the other end of the first divider extends into one of the slots of the second sidewall; and a second divider having opposed ends with a tab on each of the opposed ends and positioned such as to extend between the first and second end walls such that the tab at one end extends into one of the slots of the first end wall and the tab on the other end extends into one of the slots of the second end wall; positioning the part in the container; heating the container with the part; and quenching the container with the part.
The substance and advantages of the present invention will become increasingly apparent by reference to the following drawings and the description.